'Top Chef' contestant has Dana Point roots

He didn't tell anyone he was going to audition. He casually mentioned to his mother in May that he had an interview, but once he was selected, he kept it to himself.

It wasn't until the cast photo went online that most of Justin Devillier's friends and family members found out he would be competing on this season of Bravo's “Top Chef.”

The former Dana Point resident is one of 19 contestants on the 11th season of the reality TV show, which pits chefs in a series of cooking challenges for a $125,000 grand prize.

His mother, Maryann, said that even she was kept in the dark. Her son never told her how the interview went.

Justin Devillier grew up in Dana Point after his family moved there in 1987 when he was 6. He lived off Selva Road, right by Strand Beach. As a youngster, he spent almost every day surfing. When there were no waves, he and his brother would fish.

“That is kind of what got my interest going (with cooking),” Devillier said, recalling experimenting with cooking fish he had caught. “From there I found myself watching cooking shows on PBS and my interest grew. By the time I was 15 or 16, I knew being a chef was the career path I wanted to go after.”

Maryann Devillier said she was surprised by her son's interest in cooking. As a single mother, she didn't have a lot of traditional home-cooked meals for the family, she said.

Justin got his start working the pizza station at Jack's Restaurant in Dana Point. From there he found gigs at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott resort and Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen at Downtown Disney in Anaheim.

In 2003, he decided to leave the California coast for New Orleans.

“I really wanted to get out and focus on my own in a city that has a really good culinary history,” he said.

For the next seven years he honed his craft at various restaurants, forgoing culinary school for the training provided by real-world experience.

“I kind of view cooking as more of a craft, like being a carpenter or a mechanic, where you need to put the time in on the job,” he said.

In 2010, he purchased majority interest in La Petite Grocery, a restaurant where he was working as executive chef. He and his wife, Mia, the general manager, have operated the restaurant since then.

Devillier said he would not have been interested in auditioning for “Top Chef” were it not set in the Big Easy. His life is pretty hectic with running the restaurant, looking into new business ventures and raising two young daughters, he said. But with the show virtually on his doorstep and his wife able to help manage the restaurant and their home life, he went for it.

He's been low-key about the show since the season's first episode aired Sept. 25. He said he doesn't host any big watch parties; it's just a few friends – if he isn't working.

“I'm so impressed with his humility,” Maryann Devillier said, describing how Justin said in an early episode that he wanted to win to make the people of New Orleans proud.

She said she's been watching the show like any other viewer and doesn't know what will happen.